3/10/07 - Waiting for the test results – Supplements

Ok, so I’m waiting for the results from my test and mentally reviewing what I submitted (to stick with the Xmas package analogy, this is akin to shaking the box before you open it). I can’t remember half of what I wrote and am now regretting that I didn’t copy my questionnaire before I sent it in.

The thing I am wondering about (as I take my daily supplements), is all the things they didn’t ask me. For example, they only asked about fairly mainstream supplements, and I take some more obscure ones. I take colostrum to build my immune system and a bio-green for energy and general wellbeing, as well as a joint supplement for arthritis (I have advanced Lyme and the arthritis is killing me).

So – since I get to be your voice in this process, which means I get to ask the good folks at Sciona whatever questions pop into my head, as well as the ones that pop into yours – I wrote the team in Boulder to ask about my supplement use.

For example, will the supplements I take influence the efficacy of the program they suggest? Will I have to stop taking them? (If so, someone will have to knock down my door and physically wrench these from my trembling, clutching hands.) Will they recommend additional supplements?

Their answer was almost ridiculously simple. There are no solid scientific studies that deal with my other supplements, so they don’t feel they can – or should – include or comment on them. Fair enough. They also told me they constantly update their information, and as more information becomes available, they’ll incorporate it into their questions and recommendations. So maybe my supplements will hit the radar soon.

So, for the moment at least, my supplements are safe. Phew.

Just so you all can follow this with me, here’s a list of the supplements I take and why. Please feel free to skip this if you don’t care – and really why should you?

[Oh – and this is what I do for my reasons. I have absolutely no special knowledge or authority to recommend any of these, so understand that whatever I say about what I do has nothing to do with the folks at Sciona or anywhere else.]

Colostrum – this is the enzyme in mother’s milk that builds babies’ immune systems. I take bovine colostrum and swear by it. I used to get bronchitis four times a year every year for about 15 years, and (I’m knocking wood as I write this) have not had bronchitis once in the three years I’ve been taking it. The friend who recommended it takes it for hangovers. I haven’t tried that, but she swears it works.

Chondroitin/Glucosamine – I already talked about this. I can’t honestly say I feel as though this is making a big difference, but for the price, I’m willing to assume it makes things better.

A mega-green – I’m pretty random about which one I take, (except I won’t take the powders – they don’t seem to dissolve), My favorite is one I have only found through a naturapath I sometimes go to; however, he lives more than half an hour from me, so I often have to buy one from a health food store or Wild Oats or somewhere more convenient.

Probiotics – I was on antibiotics for three months because of the Lyme, so I take this to get my stomach back in order. I also eat a lot of yogurt for the same reason. Again, I can’t really tell much difference, but it seems to make sense.

A general women’s multivitamin – I take Trader Joe’s, which some people pooh-pooh, but it’s convenient and seems to do as well for me as any other.

Questions:

What supplements do you take?

How happy are you with the results?

Who suggested the supplements you take?

Do you believe they can make a difference to your health?

Are you likely to add to your supplement use if Sciona recommends it?

4 Responses to “Waiting for the test results – Supplements”

1. Jeannine Says:
   April 24th, 2007 at 3:11 pm

   I believe that we can not consume or intake enough of the nutrients needed for a healthy lifestyle. Foods are no longer in their ‘natural state’ with all the processing and chemicals applied. I too, take colostrum…yes it really does help the hangovers! I also take lactoferrin (which is in colostrum). I am a bit low on iron so this helps bond minerals or something like that. Every morning 30 minutes before breakfast, I take in either powder or capsule form barley grass. I find this give me natural energy; I am alert all day; and do not get tired so easily. Lastly, I drink an ounce of Ciaga juice (by Nikken). It is loaded with various fruits and berries and a wonderful antioxidant.

   The lactoferrin, barely grass and Ciaga are all from a company called Nikken. They are an organization that promotes a “wellness home”. I sleep with a magnetic mattress pad, pillow and blanket. This has helped my arthitis immensly. I also sleep thru the night now (once I get myself into bed).

   I would consider additional suplements if determined necessary or important

2. J. Taylor Says:
   April 25th, 2007 at 3:04 am

   I definitely believe supplements are important, especially because my diet is not always well balanced. (Read: almost never well balanced.) The more conventional ones (vitamins) were recommended by traditional doctors; the others (extra magnesium, Chlorella, L-Carnitine) were recommended by a nontraditional healer. I’m open to taking more supplements if I’m convinced they will meet a need for me in particular, not just because other people (with health concerns different from mine) like them.

3. Cara Says:
   May 1st, 2007 at 6:58 pm

   I’ve been taking supplements for over three years on a regular basis. I see a nutritionist every 6 to 8 weeks for a reassessment of what my body needs. I’ve taken too many supplements to over the years to list them all but I will say that I use the brand called Standard Process. My nutritionist believes this company’s supplements are the closest thing to a natural food source that would provide the same nutrients. I’ve been very happy with the results.

   I agree with what Jeannine mentioned above, most of our foods are no longer in their natural states leaving us very limited options (within the mainstream grocery stores) in finding nutritious foods. It’s unfortunate that our society equates calories and fat content as bad things while equating chemically treated low-fat and low-cal items as good things.

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